Safety hot-wire cutter.



H. B. BUSH.

SAFETY HOT WIRE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. |916.

Patented D00. 5, 1916.

HAZEL BURTON BUSH, OF REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY HOT-WIREI'CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application filed March 15, 1916. Serial No. 84,461.

and particularly to a tool for cutting high power electric wires. It often becomes necessary to disconnect the service wires which furnish current supplied by high power lines while such high power lines are hot or charged with electricity.

It is an object of this invention to provide means whereby such service wires may be easily cut and without any danger to the operator or interfering in any way with the high power lines. To disconnect or cut service wires leading from high power lines to supply stations with the tools hitherto in use was a diliicult and dangerous operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide acutting tool for cutting such wires while charged with electricity and in such a manner that the end which is still connected to the main line will be held in a rm grip by the tool so that said end of wire may be bent out of the way, and if desired, cut again close against the main line.

A convenient and practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this y specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in longitudinal section of the cutting and gripping end of the tool. Fig. 4 is anenlarged side view of the cutting and gripping end of the tool showing particularly the tool gripper. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal -sectional View of the cutting and gripping part of the tool, the

section being taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a portion of the tool showingthe operating handle and its connections. Fig. 7 is a cross section of the tool taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a rear view of that portion of the tool shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a cross section of the tool taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 2.

The tool comprises a beam 1 of insulating material, preferably wood boiled in linseed oil, which beam is slotted to receive al cutter slide 2 of like material which is mounted to reciprocate longitudinally in the beam. Clips l surround the beam 1 and hold the side members thereof together. At one end of the beam 1 is secured a metal frame 3 by means of screws 4. At 011e end of the slide 2 is a blade 5 which is bifureated to receive the end of the slide and is secured thereto by rivets 6. The frame 3 preferably comprises two outer members 7 and 8 and an intermediate member 9. The members 7 and 9 are spaced apart by a spacer l0 to provide a groove 11 in which the blade 5 is mounted, to reciprocate. The members 8 and 9 are spaced apart by a spacer 12 to provide a groove 13 in which a gripping jaw 14 is reciprocatively mounted. The members 7, 8 and 9 and the spacers 10 and 12 are all secured together by rivets 15. To the jaw 14 is secured by rivets 1G, a bolt 17, one end of which extends through an eye in a lug 18 secured to the blade 5 and is adapted to reciprocate through the eye in said lug. A pin 19 extends through the bolt 17, between which pin and the lug 18, a helical spring 20 surrounds said bolt. The members 7, 8 and 9 are provided with slots 21, 22 and 23, respectively, which are in alinement with each other and which are adapted to receive the wire to be cut. Said slots extend inwardly from the front of the frame 3 and at an angle at 24, and then longitudinally at toward the end of the tool. The part 25 of the slots may be curved to receive wires of different diameters. The wire is introduced into the slots through the part 24 and then into the part y25. The end of the part 25 of the slot 23 forms' a fixed associate jaw 26 of the gripping jaw 14, between which jaws the wire is gripped to be cut. The ends of the part 25 of the slots 2l and 22 form an anvil 27 against which the wire is adapted to rest to be cut by the cutting edge 2S of the blade 5. The blade edge extends at an angle to its line of movement so as to give the blade a shearing action. An operating lever 30, provided with a handle 31, is fulcrumed to the beam 1 at 32 and is connected at 33 to one end of a link 35, the other end of which link being connected at 36 to the cutter slide 2. Upon swinging the lever 30 on its fulcrum 32 into the position shown in dotted lines in' Fig. 6, the cutter slide 2 and blade 5 are moved forward, during which operation the lug 18, throughthc medium of spring 20, lug 19 and bolt l'17 forces the jaw la against the Lwire while it extends through the part 25 of slots 2l, 22 and 23 and the wire is gripped under the tension of the spring 2O between the jaws 14 and 26 and as the blade continues to move, the edge 28 thereof cuts the wire against the rest 27. 4When the wire is cut, one end of the wire remains gripped between the gripping jaws as long as the lever 30 remains in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, and while so gripped may be bent out of the way from the main lines to which it is attached, thereby avoiding contact with such main line and short circuiting the current. Upon swinging the lever 3() back into its initial position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, said jaws release the wire and then the wire may be removed completely from the tool. In the use of the tool in cutting high power live electric wires, the operator eX- poses himself to no danger of being shocked by electricity, inasmuch yas no current can reach him through the insulating beam l and cutter slide 2.

It should be noted that the cutter blade operating mechanism is so constructed that the movement of the cutter blade as it engages the wire to be cut is retarded while the power is proportionally increased. This is due to the fact that the operating lever and the links connected therewith form a toggle lever enabling the operator to cut thick wires with ease.

While I have shown the preferred form of the hot wire cutter, as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes in the construction, arrangement and combination of the elements composing it'may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A tool for cutting charged electric wires, comprising a beam, a rest for the wire to be cut, a cutterslide mounted to reciprocate on said beam, means for reciprocating said cutter slide, and a blade mounted on said slide adapted to coperate with said rest to cut the wire on the operation of said means.

2. A tool for gripping and cutting wires comprising a frame, a rest in said frame for the wire, a blade reciprocatively mounted in said frame and adapted to co-act with said rest to cut the wire thereon, means for gripping the wire while being cut, means for actuating said blade to cut the wire and means for automatically withdrawing said blade and returning it to its normal inoperative position after it has cut the wire.

3. A tool for gripping and cutting charged electric wires comprising an insu-V lating beam,a rest for the wire, a blade, insulated means on said insulating beam for moving said blade toward said rest to cut the wire and means in conjunction with said blade-actuating means for gripping the wire while being cut and for gripping one end of the wire after it is cut.

Il. A tool for gripping and cutting wires 7 0- comprising a frame, a rest for the wire on said frame, a blade, means for moving said blade toward said rest to cut the wire, a lug on said blade provided with an eye, a jaw mounted to reciprocate in said frame, a bolt secured to said jaw and ieciprocatively mounted in the eye in said lug, a pin eXtending through said bolt, a spring surrounding said bolt between said lug and said pin,J

and a second j aw adapted to co-act with said first jaw for gripping the wire as said blade is moved forward.

5. A tool for gripping and cutting wires, comprising a beam, a cutter slide mounted to reciprocate in said beam, an operating lever fulcrumed on said beam, a link connecting said lever and said cutter slide, a blade secured to said cutter slide, a rest with which said blade is adapted to co-act to cut the wire, a movable jaw, a bolt secured to said 90 jaw, a lug provided with an 'eye vthrough which said bolt is adapted to reciprocate, a pin on said bolt, a spring surrounding said bolt between said lug and said pin, and a second jaw adapted to co-act with said first gripping and holding one end of the wire after it is cut.

7. A tool for gripping and cutting charged ,electric wires, comprising an insu'L lating beam, a rest -for the wire to be cut,

a blade, insulated means for said insulating 1,10

beam for moving' said blade vtoward said rest to cut the wire, and means for gripping one end of the wire after it is cut.

8. A tool for gripping and cutting charged electric wires, comprising an insulating beam, a. rest for the wire to be cut, a blade, insulated means on said insulating beam for moving said blade toward said rest to cut the wire, and means for gripping the wire while the same is being cut, and for 120 gripping one end thereof after it is cut.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HAZEL BURTON BUSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingl the Commissioner of latents,

. ,.'Washingtonn' m reciprocatively 1 0 0 

